A New Beginning
by Crying Raven
Summary: A short Sequel to Untamed, Piccolo finds out what it’s like to have Rose, [the young life he saved] live under his roof.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of it's characters._

_Authors note: Ok here is a short story that I have been thinking of. If you haven't read Untamed then this won't make much sense to you. I decided to publish this because of a review that I got on Untamed. Even though I don't think it would be fair for Piccolo and Justine to just take Rose and keep her forever, I think Piccolo would want to have her some of the time._

_Anyway read and review._

_Later, Raven. _

_A New Beginning_

_**Chapter one.**_

Piccolo looked down into the big brown eye's of the little girl who held his hand. "Tell your mother goodbye before we go." He said soberly.

"Kay." She said and rushed to give her adopted mother a kiss goodbye.

"Don't look so worried Piccolo, I'm fine with this. she is just as much yours as she is mine." Maia told him with a smile.

"I'm not going to keep her from you." Piccolo stated for the third time that day.

"I know that." She told him and tried to hide the fact that she could burst into tears at any moment. Maia had known that the time would come when Piccolo would finally be ready to take on full responsibility as a parent to Rose. She just hadn't hoped it would be so soon. Last summer Piccolo and Justine had started their life together. And to tell the truth Maia would have been disappointed in Piccolo, if he hadn't asked if Rose could stay with him and Justine for awhile. But it was just so hard to let go.

"Mommy, I make you sad?" Rose asked.

"No baby, you never make me sad. Don't you worry one bit about me, because I want you to have fun with Piccolo and Justine, ok?" Maia told the girl.

"Kay." Rose chirped.

"Go wait outside for me." Piccolo instructed Rose.

After the girl rushed out the door Piccolo sighed deeply. "Tell me the truth Maia, do you think I'm doing the right thing?" He asked heavily.

"Piccolo, Rose idolizes you, she has been talking about nothing else but staying with you all week, how could you think that what you're doing is wrong?" Maia questioned.

"I just don't want to make her unhappy." Piccolo added.

"Just listen to her, she'll tell you how she feels." Maia answered.

"I'm just no good with this kind of thing." Piccolo started to protest.

"Just you get your butt out that door and take your little girl home." Maia said as she gave the green man a push.

"_My little girl."_ Piccolo thought in wonderment when he stepped out the back door.

"We gonna fry now?" The child asked Piccolo when she seen him heading toward her.

Piccolo couldn't help but smile at the way Rose pronounced the word 'fly.' "Yes we're going to fly now." He answered and bent to scoop her up into his strong arms

Rose giggled happily and hugged his neck. "You got my dolly's?" She asked him in a very serious tone.

"I have everything you'll need for the whole two weeks." He replied indicating the bag he held.

"Hurry up and fry!" She said anxiously.

"Ok Brat, calm down we're going." He chuckled.

He started out slow because he wasn't sure if she would be scared once they were airborne. Then mush to his surprise she laughed and shouted "Faster, faster." while they soared over treetops.

He sped up and took them higher into the air. The girl squealed happily and clapped her hands. "We frying!" She cried.

Piccolo felt his heart melt as he watched Rose smile at him. Only months ago he would have never believed that there would come a day when he would be taking Rose to stay with him.

They arrived at his and Justine's small cabin after about 30 minutes of flying. He set Rose down in the front yard and watched her run ahead of him into the house.

Justine was hanging laundry out to dry when Piccolo and Rose arrived, quickly she put down her basket and walked around the house to meet greet them. "How did it go?" She asked Piccolo as she fell into step beside him.

"Fine." He told her flatly.

"Ahh well do you want me to get her settled in, or would you like to do it?" She questioned.

"I'll show her where her room is and she can put her things away." He stated.

"Piccolo she's not even three yet." Justine gaped. "I mean she is very smart for her age but come on."

"I see no reason to baby her, she is capable of putting her things away." Piccolo argued.

"Ok fine, she's your kid." Justine said with a shake of her head.

Piccolo couldn't suppress the small smile that curved his lips, somehow Justine's words made him feel good.

Inside the cabin Piccolo found Rose playing on the floor with her dolls. "You don't waste any time making yourself at home do you?" He chuckled.

"I be'n good." Rose told him.

"Yes you are, but there are some things you need to know while you're living here." Piccolo added.

Rose stood up and gave him her undivided attention.

"You listening Squirt?" He asked.

"Uh huh." She said with wide unblinking eyes.

"I want you to know that while you are here, you will obey Justine and I without question, I don't want to punish you, but if you disobey there will be penalties. Got that?"

"Kay." She answered.

"Alright. now I'll show you where to put your things." He stated and led her over to where she would be sleeping.

Justine shook her head and smiled at Piccolo's idea of household rules,_ (Obey Justine and I)_ Piccolo was in for a big surprise if he thought parenthood was that simple.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z._

_Authors note: Well I hope this chapter is ok. I tried to show Piccolo's slight reluctance at being a father. _

_Anyway Please read and review._

_Later, Raven._

_**Chapter two**_

Piccolo felt a small hand shake his arm gently. "Poe Poe wakes up." Rose whispered.

Piccolo sighed and lifted his head from the pillow. His eye's found Rose standing by the bed he shared with Justine. "What's wrong Squirt?" He asked.

"I peed." She told him solemnly.

"Where?" He questioned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"In my bed." She answered.

After getting out of bed and fallowing Rose out to where her bed was, Piccolo frowned. "Why didn't you go outside like I showed you?" He asked.

"I scared." She stated.

"Of wha— Never mind take off your shirt and I'll change your bed." He muttered.

After changing the bed clothes Piccolo turned to put Rose back in her bed, but he found her still in her wet nightshirt.

"I told you to change." He said with impatience lacing his voice.

No sooner then he spoke did the girl burst into tears. "I sorry." She wailed and covered her crying eye's.

"Don't do that!" He barked.

"What's going on." Justine asked as she came out of her bedroom. "Piccolo why are you yelling at Rose?"

"I'm not yelling." He defended.

"Oh sure." Justine mumbled and bent to pick Rose up off the floor. "Oh honey you're all wet– it's ok don't cry." She soothed the girl.

Piccolo was glaring at her while she held the girl, however Justine was used to his dark looks and chose to ignore it.

"You can't yell at a kid for peeing the bed, you'll screw her up for life." She stated.

"I wasn't yelling." He growled.

"Ok maybe you were just being harsh, but whatever you were doing it was upsetting her, so next time you need to be a little more considerate." Justine asserted.

"I don't intend to baby her." Piccolo pointed out.

"I'm not saying you have to baby her. I'm just saying you shouldn't bully her." She declared.

"Why in hell would I bully a child." He demanded.

"Let's not get into this right now. Just get her to bed without making her cry." Justine told him and handed Rose over with a look of warning. Then without another word she left him standing there holding the wet child.

He held her up in front of him because he didn't like the idea of getting soaked in her pee. She was looking at him with her big watery eye's. Her thumb was popped in her mouth and all Piccolo could think was that he was not cut out to take care of a kid.

"I sorry." She mumbled around her thumb.

"No more crying." He told her in a much gentler tone.

"Kay." She said then she pulled her thumb out of her mouth as if just remembering something. "I not baby, babies suck tumbs. I not baby." She repeated.

"No you're not a baby." Piccolo agreed and put her down so he could help her change.

He pulled her shirt over her head then began looking for a clean one. Because he had let Rose put her own things away all her clothes where shoved into the trunk at the foot of her bed. After a lot of rummaging and coming up with nothing, he decided that making her something new would be much easier. "Hold still." He told her and concentrated on making her a long nightgown.

When he was done Rose giggled and clapped her hands. "You magic." She laughed.

"You like that huh Squirt?" He asked.

She nodded and lifted her arms to him. He picked her up and carried her to bed.

"Go back to sleep now." He murmured.

"Can I have kiss?" She asked.

Piccolo bent and brushed his lips against her forehead, this was nothing new she had been begging for kisses from him since she had learned how to ask.

"Now sleep." He commanded gently.

"Kay." She said and closed her eye's obediently.

Piccolo went back to his room and lay back down beside Justine in their bed. He had added the new room once they decided that Rose would be visiting.

"You did good." Justine murmured and hugged his arm.

"I'm no good at this, I can't be a father, I don't even know where to begin." He told her.

"No one said anything about you being a father." Justine whispered.

"But that's what Rose wants. She thinks I'm going to be her father." He stated heavily.

"Then maybe she knows something that you don't." She said as she snuggled up to him.

"It's just because she too young to know me that well." He grumbled.

"Oh I don't think so. I mean I know you fairly well and my heart still skips a beat when you walk in the room." Justine pointed out.

"Feh that's just fear of me kicking your ass like I did in our last sparring session." He said tongue in cheek.

"Oh yeah, well as I remember it I was the one doing the ass kicking." She stated and punched him in the shoulder.

"Well I guess I'll have to refresh your memory, wont I?" He breathed as his hands sought out her ticklish ribs.

"No don't tickle!" She squealed.

"I'll stop when you beg for mercy." He grinned.

"Never!" She said between spasms of laugher.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ._

_Authors note: I'm sorry if you think I ended this too soon. I just got to this place where I thought an ending would be perfect. Now I have more plains for Piccolo, Justine, Rose and even Dende. So if you want notification of when I start those just put me on your Author alerts list._

_Thanks for reading._

_Love, Raven._

_**Chapter three **_

Dawn in all it's soft pink glory peeked through the widow of Justine and Piccolo's bedroom.

Piccolo was somewhere in that pre-waking state that feels the most delicious, when he opened his eye's and found one blond haired girl watching him sleep.

"You awake Poe Poe?" Rose asked with her brown eyes wide and full of energy.

"Yeah I'm awake." He answered as he untangled himself from Justine's arms.

Justine stirred then yawned. "Hey Rosy you want me to make breakfast?"

"No I want Poe Poe to do it." The girl announced.

"Ok, Piccolo are you up to the task?" Justine questioned.

"I know how to fry an egg." He grumbled.

"Really I wouldn't have guessed. Since you can't eat, I just assumed you couldn't cook." She stated.

"Well you have underestimated me then." He said with a mischievous grin that most would have thought frightening.

With that said Piccolo left the room holding Rose's tiny hand in his.

A little later Justine entered the kitchen to find Rose setting on the counter giggling and Piccolo frowning at a pan he had placed on the wood stove.

"Poe Poe don't know how to make pannie cakes." Rose told Justine as she peeked around Piccolo's arm.

"Are you trying to make pan cakes?" Justine asked because she had no clue what lay in the frypan he held.

"Yes." He growled.

"Well for one thing you have to wait for the stove to warm up." She pointed out.

Piccolo moved the pan to one side and pressed his finger to the hot spot on the stove. Justine felt herself cringe even though she knew the stove's heat would not burn him. "It's warm enough." He told her and replaced the pan.

"Ok did you wait until the cake was ready to flip?" She asked.

"What, you have to turn it at a certain time?" He questioned.

"Yes, just like with eggs. Here just dump this out and start over." She directed him.

Piccolo hated to admit it but he was glad Justine knew what to do. While he was scraping out the pan into the trash he heard Rose saying something from behind him. "See if stove is hot enough." She was saying. Fear raced through Piccolo making him drop the pan just before he spun around.

Rose was about to press her hand against the hot burner!

"No!" Justine shouted even as Piccolo moved to grab Rose's tiny hand.

It was a near miss that shocked everyone. Piccolo held Rose's cubby delicate hand in his, as his mind ran away with what could have happened.

"What were you thinking! You would have been burned. Don't you know how hot that is!" He shouted at her, his emotions causing him to yell.

Rose burst into tears which agitated Piccolo all the more. "Why are you crying? You're not hurt." He thundered.

"Piccolo stop!" Justine said and placed one calming hand on his arm.

"I sorry. I sorry!" Rose cried over and over.

Piccolo released Rose's hand as her forced himself to relax, he wasn't really angry at Rose, he was upset at himself for almost allowing her to get hurt.

Justine had a way of reading people that she was close to, and even if it hurt his pride he trusted her judgment in all things. If he was wrong about something, in his mind Justine was the only one who had the right to point it out.

"Ok Pipsqueak, everything's fine now. Your not hurt and I'm not mad at you." He told the girl.

Rose sobbed a little then nodded, she wanted so badly to show Poe Poe what a big girl she could be.

Justine flashed Piccolo a smile then went to retrieve the frypan. "Ok Rosy, How about we show Piccolo how to make pan cakes?" She asked and twirled the cast-iron pan as if it weighed no more then a feather.

Rose giggled and clapped. "Yes cause Poe Poe don't know how."

"Yeah good thing he has us here to show him huh?" Justine asked.

"Yup cause he would mess it up. But he's good at eve'rf'ing else." Rose added as if worried about hurting Piccolo's feelings.

"Yes he is and we love him don't we?" Justine stated.

"Even when he make me cry, I loves him." Rose said.

Piccolo couldn't help but smile as he watched the two most important women in his life work on breakfast. Suddenly he realized that being Rose's father would not be as simple as never making mistakes, or never letting Rose down. No it would be much more then that. Because Rose understood something he hadn't, true love between a child and a parent is unconditional.


End file.
